Reciprocating piston engines are known for converting either fluid energy, from a steam source, for example, or chemical energy, from a combustible fuel source, for example, into mechanical shaft power. Reciprocating piston compressors are known for converting shaft power into fluid energy by compressing a fluid therein. A variable volume chamber of a reciprocating engine or compressor may be defined at least in part by a cylindrical wall surrounding a piston. The cylindrical wall may be integral with a block of the engine or compressor, or alternatively, the cylindrical wall may be included as part of a removable cylinder liner.
A removable cylinder liner may include sealing features to promote sealing of a working fluid within the variable volume chamber, to promote sealing of a coolant within a coolant passage in fluid communication with the cylinder liner, or combinations thereof. Sealing elements may be disposed between the cylinder liner and other engine structures, such as a block or head of the engine, to accomplish one or more of the desired sealing functions.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,532,915 (“the '915 patent”), entitled “Sealing Arrangement for a Cylinder Liner,” addresses the problem of potential damage to a cylinder liner seal by sharp edges or burrs on a bore of an engine block while pressing the cylinder liner into the bore of the engine block. The '915 patent describes a cylinder liner with an annular groove for containing a seal. The annular groove of the '915 patent includes a first undercut at an upper portion of the annular groove and a second undercut at a lower portion of the annular groove.
However, the sealing arrangement described in the '915 patent may not be optimum for all configurations of incorporating a cylinder liner into an engine, all seal configurations, or combinations thereof. Accordingly, there is a need for improved cylinder liners to address one or more of the problems set forth above, and/or other problems in the art.